Are Wires Really Obsolete?

Wireless technologies have truly revolutionized not only the concept of computer networking, but the way we use many of our electronic devices. Of course, wireless transmission has been around for a long time; automatic garage door openers were invented way back in the 1940s, and Zenith built TV remote controls in the 1950s. I still remember how impressed I was, as a little kid, with the clunky remote on my grandparents' (black and white) television set. It didn't work very well, but when it did, it was awesome.

Those first wireless TV remotes used ultrasonic waves (prior to that, Zenith made a remote that connected to the TV with a long wire). We called it a "clicker" because when you pushed a button, it clicked and struck a bar that emitted a specific frequency above the threshold of human hearing (but still audible to dogs - and sometimes using the remote control would make the dog howl). By the 1970s, TV remotes were more sophisticated, and most of today's remotes use infrared (IR) technology to send signals to the TV.

Of course, governments had remote control technology for military applications long before it became available commercially to the public. The Soviet Union used radio controlled tanks in the 1930s and the Germans had remote controlled missiles in World War II. But the history of wireless controllers goes even further back than that. Famous scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla patented a method for remotely controlling moving vehicles back in 1893.

Today we use wireless technology in many different ways. It's hard to remember back when talking on the telephone meant you were tied down to a small area within the reach of the cords. Today we use wireless (cellular or satellite) phones and even when we talk on landlines, it's often over cordless phones whereby only the base station has to plug into the wall; it then wirelessly broadcasts to handsets that are free to roam around the house.

Many of us have cars that are equipped with GPS receivers that communicate wirelessly with the solar-powered satellites that circle the earth at an altitude of approximately 12,600 miles as part of the Global Positioning System. The GPS satellites transmit microwave signals that travel at the speed of light through space (they slow down some when they hit the atmosphere). The U.S. Navy developed the first satellite based navigation system in 1960, but a German aerospace scientist put forth the idea in 1939.

Wireless toys have been around for a while, too. Remote controlled planes, boats and cars are favorites with kids of all ages. We also have wireless webcams, wireless microphones, wireless headsets, even wireless battery chargers (www.splashpower.com).

We have also begun to "cut the cord" when it comes to linking peripherals such as keyboards and pointing devices to our computers. Wireless peripherals are almost a necessity for certain applications, such as a Media Center PC connected to your TV, since you need to sit six feet or more away from the screen. Wireless peripherals also help to "declutter" the physical desktop and area around your computer a bit. Have you ever noticed how all those wires somehow manage to work their ways into knots, no matter how you separate them to begin with?

On the other hand, wireless peripherals can sometimes be a little quirky, especially when the batteries start to get low. And if you happen to be out of the correct size batteries when your keyboard's decide to give up the ghost, you may find yourself without the use of that peripheral at all, which is no fun. Except for the Media Center PCs, I stick with USB keyboards.

When it comes to computer networking, wireless technology made it much easier for home users to link their computers together. Running Ethernet cables through the walls in an existing house is difficult or expensive (depending on whether you do it yourself or pay someone to do it). Running them across the floor or ceiling creates a less than aesthetically pleasing look. With 802.11 wireless, you just plug a wi-fi access point into your broadband router (or buy a router that has wireless built in), go through a few configuration steps, and you can get online from anywhere within a 300 ft. or so radius (depending on factors such as the materials your walls are made of, the strength of your antennas, and so forth) with a computer that has a wireless NIC installed. Well, sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't work quite that easily. And because wi-fi operates via radio waves - along with many of those other wireless devices we use these days - sometimes we get interference. 802.11b and g, the most popular implementation of wireless networking, operates on the 2.4GHz spectrum. So do many cordless phones, garage door openers, baby monitors and even microwave ovens. With all that traffic going across the airwaves, it's amazing that wi-fi works as well as it does.

Wi-fi is great for certain applications. Sometimes there's just no easy way to run an Ethernet cable to a location where you want to use a computer. A good example is the dock on the lake behind our house. It would be awkward, at best, to try to string Cat 6 down the slope to the shoreline. With a directional high gain antenna plugged into our WAP, though, we can sit at the water's edge and surf the 'Net on our laptops.

But the very nature of wireless means it will never be quite as reliable as a wired connection. Our laptops sometimes aren't able to connect to the wireless network, for no particular reason - even when we're sitting a few feet away from the WAP. Occasionally the TouchSmart kitchen computer, which uses wi-fi because there's no Ethernet jack on the side of the kitchen where it fits best, will drop its connection. In both cases, rebooting the computer usually fixes the problem, and that's an acceptable tradeoff for the convenience when it comes to those particular systems. But for my primary workstation, on which I depend to get my work done, I want reliability. That's the reason it's wired to the Ethernet network.

Then there's the speed issue. Wi-fi has gotten faster; 802.11g gives you up to 54 Mbps (best case scenario), and the new 802.11n has a theoretical maximum of 300 Mbps (although the typical rate is more like 70 Mbps). Of course, this probably won't affect your Internet connectivity since the fastest U.S. residential service (FiOS) tops out at around 50 Mbps. But if you transfer a lot of large files between computers over your local network, the difference between 70 Mbps wireless and gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) is substantial. Next, you have to think about security. Wireless will always be inherently less secure than wired networking because it's simpler to capture packets going "through the air" than those that are confined to a cable. We all know about so-called war drivers who sit in their cars on the street outside a residence or in a business's parking lot and pick up the wi-fi signals emanating from the house or building.

Finally, some studies have suggested that there may be health effects from all these electromagnetic signals flying through the air and bombarding us. In 2006, a Canadian university decided against installation of campus-wide wi-fi, citing a California Public Utilities Commission study that brought up the risk of tumors and other health problems caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields. There is still a great deal of controversy over possible health risks from wi-fi, cell phones and other wireless technologies.

Given all this, I use wireless when it's called for, but I'm a long way from giving up on Ethernet. I like the higher speed and greater reliability of a wired connection when I can get it. That's why I was surprised a while back, when the host of a well known radio show who gives callers computer advice took a call from a man who was building a new home and asked whether he should have the house wired with Ethernet. The host told him no, that isn't necessary now because we have wi-fi. The cost of having Ethernet put in while the walls are open is minimal; the expense is multiplied many fold after the home is finished. I would have told him to go ahead and wire the house; you never know when you'll have a "dead zone" where wi-fi just doesn't want to work.

Tell us what you think. Do you agree with the radio host that wired networking is obsolete and wireless is good enough for all purposes? Or do you consider wi-fi a second choice, for locations and situations where wired connections aren't possible? Is wi-fi fast enough for all your needs, or do you like the blazing speed of gigabit Ethernet for transferring music, photos, videos and other large files? Do you worry about wi-fi security? Do you think wireless technologies pose health risks, or is that just much ado about nothing, another media-driven scare tactic? What are your favorite wireless technologies? Share your opinions at feedback@wxpnews.com